If he played (and if Bray were healthy), Tennessee would not only have beaten Kentucky but would likely have beaten South Carolina as well. Who knows how much the Georgia game changes with a capable receiver in the lineup...and after seeing the way UT played in the second half at UF, who can say how that one would have turned out if Hunter hadn't been injured and the team/staff hadn't been shell-shocked for two quarters? I don't think it's inconceivable that UT could've been 9-3 if the injuries hadn't taken place.
Of course, we all know what they say about "ifs" and buts," but it is something to think about going forward for everyone who wants a coaching change (myself at the top of that list).
I think the loss of players this season has a lot to do with our overall record. The lack of these players, however, may have amplified our coaching deficiencies. It's something I've been thinking about... If we had the talent, would our coaches have made different decisions that might prevent us from second guessing them now? But, there were some boneheaded decisions that were made in play calling that I can't imagine were due to personnel.
There are so many factors that could be tweaked to get different outcomes that my mind goes crazy trying to play them out. I just have to come to the conclusion that we are not there yet both in talent and in coaching....the depth issues for personnel are quite clear, but the coaching issue is more cloudy, imo. How many coaches need to go? I know of two I want gone....I wouldn't be sad to see more than that.
This is indeed a crossroads for the Dooley regime. The recipe of players and coaches will be different next year. We know the player side will be beefed up. We don't know what the coaching situation will be like yet. I just hope Dooley gets the formula right. There's no sense in us not winning 9 games next year. 8 wins may buy him another year, but it won't be on par with where we should be as a program.
This is Tennessee Football. Enough is enough.
